Study: PR Gets Higher Marks Than Advertising for Social Media Use

A survey done jointly by Worldcom Public Relations Group and the Transworld Advertising Agency Network (TAAN) found both PR practitioners and advertising specialists think that PR is making better use of social media.

Both organizations are agency networks, and the two networks are unrelated. Worldcom agency members include Linhart Public Relations, M. Silver Associates, and Padilla Speer Beardsley. Members of TAAN include Bailey Gardiner, Krome Communications, and Pure. Twenty-five principals from each network responded to the survey. Elizabeth Sosnow, MD at BlissPR, also a Worldcom member, conducted the survey.

Of PR respondents, 20 percent said the profession was “an innovative marketing communications leader” in the social media arena and 64 percent said the profession is “keeping pace.”

Among advertising pros, 12 percent said their profession was “innovative” and 40 percent said it was “keeping pace.” Forty percent also said that advertising is “falling behind.”

Advertising pros were also positive about PR’s use of social media, with 13 percent saying it was “innovative” and 54 percent saying it was “keeping pace.” The PR side was more generous with 20 percent saying that advertising is “innovative” and 48 percent saying it is “keeping pace.”

The study also found that respondents on both sides expect fees for social media to rise in 2011. Forty percent of advertising principals said that working with PR pros was “seamless on an ongoing basis” but only 24 percent of PR respondents said the same.

We’d be interested in more feedback from PR pros with experience working on social media programs with advertising agencies. And how much of a factor do you think sheer confidence was in these results? Of course, any other feedback is welcome in the comments and @PRNewser.